My Servant System

"What do you mean you can see it in my eyes? See what?"

I tried to feign confusion at her words, hoping that the dense Sultana from before remained right in front of me instead of this sharper, crueler version that was crouching and staring at me, but of course... I was out of luck in that regard, and honestly, I wasn't surprised either when she leaned closer and whispered directly into my ears, the older, stronger Jackalkin not giving a damn about my personal space.

"Don't play dumb, pup. I can see it in those ambers of yours; a thirst so carnal and dark that it can make eyes even as beautiful as yours dim. Your lust for blood and desire to flay flesh simply for the hell of it. I can see it, I can smell it..."

She pulled back after a moment, but even then it felt like her presence enshrouded the entire world as she looked me up and down, her gaze heavier than almost any I had ever felt before; it pierced into my very soul and made me shiver, my everything going cold as I was reminded yet again that I was merely prey masquerading as a predator in this world.

I was reminded that the fish in this ocean were far deadlier and ravenous than I could ever imagine, and that what was crouching before me wasn't a fish in that analogy, but instead a bird of prey waiting to swoop down and snatch me from the ocean's waves.

It was a horrifying feeling that I never wanted to feel again, and yet the source of it didn't relent as she whispered "You're a killer, a murderer, but unlike everyone else here, you relish the splatter of blood across your face, the rush of adrenaline that courses through your veins whenever someone pleads for mercy... You're a hedonistic bitch, aren't you?"

Swallowing hard, I steeled my resolve and tried to stare into her veil - and for a moment, I felt more like I was staring into the void once more - only to have to look away, the fear that gripped my heart making it hard to breath as I remained rooted in place, but even then...

"And so what if I am? Does it matter?"

I glanced back at her and froze once more, unable to take my eyes off of her veil as she leaned closer to me, before she chuckled quietly, her raspy vocals causing that to be a rather grating sound as she nodded and answered me after a moment.

"It does... It makes me rather happy and expectant for the future, Katherine Zara. My wife might say that you will dilute our gene pool, but I think differently. I couldn't think of a better mate for my eldest daughter than you... I think you're an even better partner than Jahi Asmodia is for Anput..."

She pulled away from me and stood up, finally closing her eyes and relieving me of that oppressive, frightening aura that almost made me fear for my life, and as she looked down at me the Jackalkin nodded to herself once more before turning to look towards Anput, who was still in the midst of sparring.

"Something about meeting yet another Caninekin who has a trait as old and primitive as this... it's cathartic."

I took a few deep breaths to steady myself, ridding myself of these negative emotions and trying my hardest to keep myself from 'regressing' as memories of the void began to seep back into my mind and pull at the fringes of my consciousness, that loneliness and despair that I had felt after who knows how long drifting returning slowly but surely as I thought about it more and more.

"Why is it cathartic..? Why would you want someone like me specifically for Anput..?"

To distract myself, I asked the Sultana questions, despite her being the cause of my current state as I lingered between normalcy and fear, something she certainly sensed within me, but interpreted differently than what I was actually feeling.

"Because it is what used to be the norm for our kind. Bloodthirsty, prolific killers who yearned for blood. Perhaps in the Empire and the other countries of the world, this trait was seen as negative; something to be avoided as much as it possibly could. None of them wanted to have this primal yearning for blood diluting the gene pool, none want to have someone 'unwieldy' and dangerous walking around, let alone many of them...

But here? It's something that I miss from my time as a slave. The amount of us that were forced into becoming bloodthirsty and sadistic. The progress we made as a warrior society was unparalleled throughout most of history. The warriors we produced, the strength we accrued... all of it was ushering us into a golden age for the Sultanate, but... sadly, a byproduct of my revolution and rise to the mantle of Sultana was that many of those 'true warriors' wanted to settle down. Peace was acquired, and there was no need to fight anymore...

It is a shame that I don't despise as much as I should. My comrades... those that died... they deserve the peace, but watching as these strong warriors settled down with their mates to raise children who knew nothing of the violence and cruelty of the world was painful. The stock of which these children were born with was inferior by far, and it only gets worse as time progresses."

She let out a sigh before looking around the plaza, towards who I was inferring were the 'children of inferior stock', which... as I watched the various warriors training against one another in harsh, brutal combat as they cut, slashed, stabbed and bashed one another, I wondered just how much more brutal her comrades had been if this was considered 'inferior'.

"Compared to your Empire, we seem far more violent and strong, far more physical and talented in combat, but the reality is that those who are old enough to remember know that the Sultanate... it isn't what it used to be. But, I am but a jaded old futanari clinging onto the glories of the past.

The world has changed far too much from then to now... that is why I am happy to see that trait in you. I was happy when I realized Anput was a battle junkie, but when she had her first kill, I was disappointed to see that she relished the battle itself more than the kill. Still, I couldn't be prouder of her..."

Trailing off, the Sultana nodded when Anput slammed the side of her spear into the abdomen of the Death Jackal, folding the warrior in half and dropping them to the ground with that final hit before pressing the tip of her spear against the Death Jackal's neck, pinning them down and forcing them to concede.

As soon as she won, Anput turned and grinned over at both of us, her chest heaving as she dragged in breath after breath from an intense fight, and that made the Sultana drop the conversation instantly.

Smiling back at her, I remained seated as I watched her help the Death Jackal up before the two clasped forearms in the typical warriors handshake, with the Death Jackal giving the Begum a few quiet words before they went their separate ways.

Sauntering over to join us, Anput continued to grin as she stretched and relished in the after glow that came from a good workout and a win against a tough opponent, though she looked between us and asked "So what were you two talking about? I saw you were rather close..."

The Sultana snorted in amusement at that as she replied "No need to get defensive, Anput. I wasn't making any moves on your mate, just asking her some questions. I have to admit... I used to question why you were so enamored by some random Dogkin from the Empire, but I understand it now... albeit from a different perspective. One that you likely don't have..."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Glaring at her Mom, Anput leaned forwards and tried to take up and intimidating posture, though considering everything that we had witnessed merely a little while ago it just made it seem rather... odd.

Something the Sultana knew too since she just met Anput's glare and said "Want to go again then, Anput? Feeling confident after beating a Death Jackal once?", which made my mate take a step back and smile at her Mom instead as she shook her head and replied "No, it was just a momentary lapse of judgement~! I didn't mean anything by it~! Hey, are we going to have some curry for dinner?"

She snorted again as she nodded, though she glanced back at me and just said "See?" before walking over towards the Demoness instead, watching as Jahi began to lift one of the Dogkin above her head and slam them down on the tile.

"What was that about? What did you talk about?"

"Nothing much. She just asked me about your Mother and my Mother some more... she really doesn't seem to understand why they have a 'rivalry'."

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